The Ukrainian crisis led to the sharpest jump in food prices in the US since the early 1980s, The Washington Post reported.

At the beginning of the week, corn futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange topped $8 a bushel, a record high in nearly a decade.

This situation has developed for several reasons.

So, in mid-April, Joe Biden promised to allow the sale of gasoline with a high ethanol content by the summer, which supposedly should reduce prices at gas stations. At the same time, this will have a negative impact on the environment and lead to a rise in the price of products, the newspaper writes.

The fact is that to obtain ethanol, corn is needed, which is usually used in the production of consumer goods and for fattening animals.

Given that 60 percent of the costs associated with livestock production are for feed, experts expect a rise in prices for beef, pork, poultry and some types of fish, the media notes.

The cost of meat will also be affected by the increase in prices for fertilizers associated with what is happening in Ukraine.

Among other factors of influence, the publication attributed bird flu, drought in California and traffic jams on the border with Mexico.

In addition, the United States recorded an increase in the cost of food. According to the Ministry of Labor, by the end of March, prices for consumer goods increased by 8.5 percent in annual terms. Growth was the highest since December 1981.